Our stories

On Wednesday and Thursday we spent time visiting the courts and a prison. It was a busy few days where we were encouraged, challenged and moved to tears on more than one occasion. Below are several reflections from the team!

We have had an action-packed two days (Monday and Tuesday) of getting to know the UCLF staff and visiting a police station and a children's remand centre. How would we sum it all up? The word 'hope'. Our hearts are filled with joy to witness what God is …

"What does it mean to be a lawyer AND a Christian?"

We all woke up eager to make the most of the last full day in Rwanda. There was one agenda for the morning: attending harvest day parties! To look the part, Daisy attempted to style the team with some African jewellery.

On Wednesday morning, we had a lovely walk from the hotel to the Lawyers of Hope (LOH) office in Kigali. When we got there, we took in the breathtaking view of Kigali from the office's front garden. Inside the office, we met the paralegals of the area.

We gathered at the hotel reception at 6am on Tuesday morning with Liliane - a lawyer working with Lawyers of Hope (LOH) and Juves - the founder and director of LOH. Once we got in the car with our driver Bosco, Juves led us in a short prayer for journey mercies.

Was the sound that woke Mhairi, Daisy and Michael up on Monday morning when their feet hit the floor. Their beautiful hotel rooms at Solace Guest House were flooded with water when a hot water tank burst in the middle of the night. It was a comical morning and the …

We boast as being the most diverse Summer Justice Misson Team! We are a team of five from five different nations: Australia, Germany, Kenya, Scotland, and Wales.

This summer the Justice Mission Teams are back. Follow this blog to hear from the team and to pray for them.

In Rwanda, E contacted Lawyers of Hope (LOH) by phone, on behalf of her nephew (S), who was detained in prison for his attempts to save a man from drowning. Her nephew, aged 19, was due to sit the National O Levels (the major end of year exams) in only …

Final day of the CLEAR conference in Nairobi – time flies when you are having fun! We started with wonderful worship from the Mozambique team playing our favourite tune, Alpha & Omega. The devotion was then given by Daniel from Uganda. Mhairi spoke about financial sustainability and there were strong group …

Having safely reached Nairobi, we were very much looking forward to meeting our CLEAR partners from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and Mozambique. On Saturday morning, Keira led us in a devotion on Galatians 3:26-29 which emphasised that "we are all children of God through Christ" no matter …

We said our goodbyes to Belinda and Kigali then headed off on an early flight down to Nairobi with a cheeky stopover in Burundi. There was a slight panic that some of the team wouldn't make to the airport, with the check-in man telling Mark he was closing …

After an early start at the football Pascal drove us a hour and a half into the countryside of Rwanda through the beautiful lush rolling hills – Rwanda has definitely earned its nickname of the country of a thousand hills! We went to the church of Pastor Donat, who is one …

Student scenarios Belinda and Kiera led another session with students from three Rwandan universities on advocating for children and vulnerable people. Building on the lessons from the faith and law session, the participants learned how to serve as lawyers with excellence – whoever their clients may be. During practical workshops, the …

Equipping… studentsThis morning Elsa, Gemma and Zara presented a talk on Faith and Law to around 50 Law students of various years from National University of Rwanda and the University of Kigali. The session started with a short devotion from Psalm 27 by Elsa. Kiera (Guitar), Gemma (voice) and Zara …

Legal Training On Monday morning, Belinda and Kiera led a session with Lawyers of Hope staff and paralegals on how to take witness statements from vulnerable people. The participants found the training helpful for adapting questions to each client individually and being patient with them, especially if retelling traumatic events …

We woke up bright and early for breakfast on Sunday morning and sat on the lovely veranda and took in the stunning view. We then set off for church! Juves and Pascal took us to the 'Vineyard church in Rwanda' pastored by Antoine, who is also a lawyer and member …

The majority of us set off on Friday evening from Heathrow. We had a fairly pleasant flight and were able to get some rest either on the plane or during our layover at Addis Ababa airport. Despite our staggered arrival times, Juves (the Lawyers of Hope director) kindly picked all …

Susan's* hope of safety and provision for her daughter is being realised. Several years ago, her husband abandoned them both, leaving her destitute and caring for their two year old daughter. The local authorities refused to intervene. Undeterred, Susan grappled to understand the law and engage with the court …